Portugal-based alternative Android app store Aptoide downloads €8.5M funding

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Lisbon-based Aptoide, an online marketplace for Android apps, announced on Thursday, November 9, that it has secured €8.5M in a fresh funding round from Digital Turbine, the premier independent mobile growth platform. 

The announcement comes over a year after Digital Turbine announced a strategic investment in Aptoide in October 2022. 

The investment from Digital Turbine was part of Aptoide’s Series-B funding round of $12M, in which Faurecia, Portugal Ventures, and the 200M Fund (a Portuguese co-investment company) also participated.

Fund utilisation

The company plans to use the funds to accelerate growth and promote two mobile app platforms, GamesHub and Catappult.

GamesHub, a joint effort between Digital Turbine and Aptoide, is a game app store that has already gained recognition as the platform of choice for major operators in the United States. 

It aims to expand its presence in the US market and targets the availability of 80 to 100M devices by the end of 2023. 

The platform’s strategic partnerships with carriers like ATT, Verizon, USCellular, Tracfone, Cricket, and BLU US position it for significant growth and success in 2024.

Catappult is an alternative mobile gaming distribution and monetisation platform. 

With hundreds of millions of users, it connects developers to more than 20 alternative app stores worldwide, streamlining distribution, promotion, and monetisation.

Further, the recent capital injection will allow Atpoide to repurchase company stock from current shareholders, providing them with a significant return on their investment.

Paulo Trezentos, Aptoide’s CEO, says, “We are thrilled to strengthen our partnership with Digital Turbine and leverage their expertise to enhance app discovery and distribution. This investment underscores the incredible growth and potential of Aptoide, showcasing the tremendous potential of this partnership to transform the mobile app distribution landscape”.

Aptoide: Social Android app store

Founded in 2011 by Paulo Trezentos and Alvaro Pinto, Aptoide is the first social Android app store.

With over 430M users, 4B downloads, and 1 M apps, Aptoide is a community-based platform that aims to reinvent the app discovery experience through a social environment, tailored recommendations, and the opportunity for users to create and share their personal app stores.

Aptoide also provides customisable white-label App Store solutions for developers, OEMs, Telcos, and Integrators, through which they can upload and distribute their Android Apps.

The Aptoide App Store is available for mobile, TV, and VR devices and is accessible in over 40 languages.

The Investor

Digital Turbine is a mobile platform that connects advertisers, publishers, carriers, and OEMs.

By integrating a full advertising stack with proprietary technology integrated into wireless operators’ and OEMs’ devices, Digital Turbine enhances advertising and monetisation.

Bill Stone, CEO of Digital Turbine, says, “Our partnership with Aptoide has enabled us to create a highly curated environment for premium app discovery through GamesHub. The expanding partnership leverages technology from both companies to develop new and innovative distribution products for our mobile operator, OEM, and app developer clients. We are excited about the potential of this partnership and the strategic direction we are taking together”.

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Vigneshwar Ravichandran

Vigneshwar has been a News Reporter at Silicon Canals since 2018. A seasoned technology journalist with almost a decade of experience, he covers the European startup ecosystem, from AI and Web3 to clean energy and health tech. Previously, he was a content producer and consumer product reviewer for leading Indian digital media, including NDTV, GizBot, and FoneArena. He graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Electronics and Instrumentation in Chennai and a Diploma in Broadcasting Journalism in New Delhi.

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